Gosden R G, Faddy M J
Centre for Reproduction, Growth and Development, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Leeds, UK.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 1998;10(1):73-8. doi: 10.1071/r98043.
The ovary is endowed at birth with a fixed number of primordial follicles, which steadily dwindles throughout life as a result of atresia and recruitment towards ovulation. In addition to age, the number varies allometrically between species, larger and longer-lived animals tending to have more follicles initially and these disappear at a slower rate. A causal relationship between follicle depletion and menopause clearly exists, and there is a gradual acceleration of follicle wastage in the human ovary beginning more than a decade before the end of menstrual life. A mathematical model has provided confirmatory evidence of this relationship, and indicates that menopause is triggered by a threshold number of follicles which varies stochastically with a mean of 1100.
出生时，卵巢就拥有一定数量的原始卵泡，随着闭锁和卵泡被募集用于排卵，其数量在一生中会持续减少。除年龄外，不同物种间卵泡数量的异速生长变化也存在差异，体型较大、寿命较长的动物最初往往拥有更多卵泡，且这些卵泡消失的速度较慢。卵泡耗竭与绝经之间显然存在因果关系，在月经周期结束前十多年，人类卵巢中的卵泡损耗就开始逐渐加速。一个数学模型为这种关系提供了确凿证据，并表明绝经是由一个阈值数量的卵泡触发的，该阈值数量随机变化，平均值为1100个。
